The truth about a complex built for veterans and the middle class and how it has evolved through the years to become one of the more interesting and controversial of New York stories.

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sunday, June 3

Public Safety has indeed stepped up its watchful eye on the dog situation (at least around the Oval). This past week they even stopped dog-owners to check registration tags.

* * *

Yesterday, while enjoying the Oval Lawn, I spotted two couples, together, with two dogs, cute little ones that they were obviously trying to hide from too much public view, as they were all sitting on the lawn. At the same time a couple of male student studs were throwing a football around in the southern portion of the lawn, as if they owned the place. I was thinking that, here we go again, Public Safety after a week of effort is going to drop the ball (no pun intended) and slack off, when, after a while, PS did show up and deal with both situations in a professional manner. Of course, since boys will be boys, as soon as PS was not around, the studs were back throwing their football around, joined by two other studs throwing their own football around. (These guys had also been warned previously.) My impression is that PS took care of this new situation later, but I wasn't present.

* * *

I did a rough count of the sunbathers on Saturday, which was a partially cloudy day, and came up with about 100. This means that for events that take place on the Oval Lawn, you can subtract about that amount as people who would, if they're sunbathing, already be there.

* * *

Oh, and it was nice to see our new general manager, Sean Sullivan, taking a tour of the Oval Lawn on Thursday.

* * *

Seems like there WILL be an oven at Oval Cafe. Oval Study is due next to be "refreshed."

* * *

The grapevine states that the Community Center will get shorter hours and that staff has been or will be cut back. Yeah, since there's no profit in it, understandable.

* * *

Meanwhile, a blog reader sends in this photo, of what I assume are dry walls: a quick alternative to lath and plaster walls. Up they go, an extra room added, more student bodies per apartment and more rent paid! That's the way it's done!

86 comments:

Anonymous
said...

So, when do we get the rent reduction for our once stable community having been turned into a dorm? The buildings are never cleaned, the recycling room is literally crawling and buzzing with vermin, fllies and roaches, the "laundry" room is unusable because of filthy, malfunctioning machines and we have to listen to cretins blasting music and walking in gestapo boots on bare wooden floors. This is not what normal housing is about. Aren't there laws concerning rent stabilized housing being "transformed" into dorms? If Bloomberg could tear his feeble, Mama's Boy mind away from what New Yorkers eat and drink, maybe he could address this issue. Where is Christine Quinn, Bloomberg's #1 butt-kisser, on this issue? Does she seriously think she has a shot at being elected Mayor while her master allows his pals (e.g. Rose Associates and NYU) to ride roughshod over hardworking, middle-class renters? I'd vote for the ever-barking dog next door before I'd vote for her. At least the dog next door is aware that life exists around him. Our pols don't.

The photo is a pile of Sheetrock, a/k/a drywall. This is likely being used for an apt gut reno. When plaster walls get too beat up, the current practice now is to cover them with the layer of Sheetrock.

Unless your budget is huge, replacing plaster and lath is a thing of the past.

Good to hear security is keeping dogs out of the Oval, now what about the other 79.5 acres? You know, where the illegal dog breeds roam free? It's a matter of time before an off leash Pitt Bull mauls a child.

Public Safety are pretty good at doing their job WHEN MANAGEMENT ALLOWS them to. Remember, TS used to tell them not to bother the market raters and students because they didn't want to upset them. Management tries very hard to pretend that nothing bad ever happens here and PS are not allowed to discuss the amount of crime and QOL problems with tenants. They have to pretend that everything is coming up Roses in Rosieland!

@Chris. Stuyvesant Town apartments are not made of plaster and lathe, they're made of concrete and plaster, and can be easily repaired. It wouldn't make any sense to put up a frame with sheetrock. Unless you have pictures, I seriously doubt that this pile of sheetrock is being used for anything except construction of pressure walls.

As to the 9:59 comment, yes it is repetitive, but I can state from first hand experience that the poster is relating a situation that is NOT uncommon. Long time tenants who were used to living with respectful neighbors with carpeted floors are now routinely subjected to the conditions mentioned above. Not every apartment in every building, but enough of them to affect a lot of people. Some people are tolerating it because they have no options, others have moved out to escape. It is extremely frustrating for many residents, so they come here to vent.

Re: dry wall. When the kitchens are renovated, they cover the existing walls with a new wall. This is why the open space is narrower in the reno'ed kitchens in PCV. Also, we have a jog in one wall, so putting up the new wall evens it out so you get that even, contemporary look.

Does anybody know what the current dog rules are now? I spoke to security about the dogs when we were under T-S. They told me:1. Dogs were not allowed on any grassy areas; whatever they had to do, they had to do it in the road (or sidewalk).2. Dogs could be no higher than knee high (god only knows whose knees).3. Aggressive breeds (like pit bulls) were not allowed.

The dog rules have changed since TS. Dogs are allowed anywhere except where a sign indicates that they aren't (such as the Oval Fountain area or any of the playgrounds or on the Oval lawn). Aggressive breeds are still not allowed, though one sees them being walked through the property. Two dogs max per apartment, and there's a weight limit.

Pressurized walls are built with galvanized tin frames that include studs to support the sheetrock. The delivery trucks are often seen in the loop roads unloading both of those materials, and I highly doubt that they're framing over concrete walls because the gap between them would be a fire hazard. Highly suspect construction methods, and I'm just not buying it without pix.

Well, whatever the rules, they're a joke. I see pit bulls, dogs taller than my knees (I'm 6'). They're starting to re-landscape PCV, but the dog problem will be much harder to solve. ST has many small areas covered with mulch. Dogs don't care about walking on that but owners won't like it so more will go on the roads and walks (certainly not pleasant but the grounds will be maintainable). In PCV there are large grassy areas that cannot be completely mulched over. Would look horrendous. Seriously doubt there will landscape solutions. The issue will be fence or not fence. Guaranteed the landscapers will say fence. Guaranteed Rose & CW will say 'no way'.

"The photo is a pile of Sheetrock, a/k/a drywall. This is likely being used for an apt gut reno. When plaster walls get too beat up, the current practice now is to cover them with the layer of Sheetrock.

Unless your budget is huge, replacing plaster and lath is a thing of the past."

That is just patently untrue. First, there is no lath its concrete under the plaster. Secondly, to add sheet rock over the plaster would take at least six inches off the length and width of the room. Something that has never been done here. That sheet rock is for dividing rooms not fixing walls. Period. Thirdly, the budget is huge. Rose needs to show huge bills for renovating or they dont get the huge mark up they are looking for.

The reason I know there are double walls in the renovated PCV kitchens is because I had a leak in my unrenovated kitchen. Workers had to look for the break in the pipe in the renovated kitchen above me. They mentioned that it was going to be a big job to find the leak upstairs because the kitchen had double walls. The open space in PCV kitchens (which are rectangular) is noticeably narrower in those that are renovated.

I don't know if anyone else caught this news today, but Tom Duane announced that since he won his fight for gay marriage, it's no longer necessary to pretend to advocate for tenants rights, so he will not seek re-election for another term.

I don't know if anyone else caught this news today, but Tom Duane announced that since he won his fight for gay marriage, it's no longer necessary to pretend to advocate for tenants rights, so he will not seek re-election for another term.>>

You beat me to it! That is exactly what I was going to post! By losing Tom Duane, we are losing NOBODY because all he cared about was gay marriage.

i pay market rate and have for many years (triple and sometimes quadruple what many others pay). i have a dog and am a young professional. i get constantly yelled at about my dog although I always follow the rules - don't allow him in areas he is not permitted, he is well below the weight limit, wears the tag and i always pick up after him. for those of you who like to bother other tenants and yell at them - you need to realize that those of us who pay high prices to live in ST benefit everyone. who do you think pays for security, landscaping etc? the students, the young professionals, the dog-owners, the people paying market rates.

If Rose was using this sheet rock in kitchens (and or bathrooms) it would be blue or green in color. The white stuff is for interior walls where water is not present. The blue or green sheet rock or better yet cement boards are used in kitchens and baths. This sheet rock is to build interior walls.

>>you need to realize that those of us who pay high prices to live in ST benefit everyone. who do you think pays for security, landscaping etc? the students, the young professionals, the dog-owners, the people paying market rates.<<

So we should be thankful to you and give you extra perks? Or perhaps bow down to you when you walk past us? The non-market rate tenants were here way before you came and Stuy Town/PCV did fine and, gasp, we had security and landscaping, too!

3:02--I don't know how long you've been around, but the folks who generally post here and on other Stuytown pages HATE the market rate folks, they HATE dogs because once, a long, long time ago, Stuytown didn't allow dogs, HATE the farmers market, HATE landscaping beyond grass and yews, HATE people lying on the grass, HATE the music...They are aging-in-place, which is great, because it gives us the diversity, but they remember Stuytown as it was when they were young, and there's a disconnect when they see all these young faces, but it's not like when they were young.

They literally think they have more right to Stuytown than you. I am a huge supporter of rent control/stabilization laws, but they are not doing its status any good.

No, you need to realize that there were NO market rate tenants in ST/PCV for almost 50 years, and yet we still had all the services that we needed, including Security, lush lawns, full maintenance service and spotless buildings and grounds. Yet, Met Life managed to turn a hefty profit every year. Your false and inflated sense of superiority is rather ugly to see.

"So we should be thankful to you and give you extra perks? Or perhaps bow down to you when you walk past us? The non-market rate tenants were here way before you came and Stuy Town/PCV did fine and, gasp, we had security and landscaping, too!"

We not only had security and landscaping, but we had BETTER security and landscaping! We also had clean buildings, clean laundry rooms, laundry equipment that was clean and that actually cleaned clothes! You market raters have benfitted us NOT!

>>3:02--I don't know how long you've been around, but the folks who generally post here and on other Stuytown pages HATE the market rate folks, they HATE dogs because once, a long, long time ago, Stuytown didn't allow dogs, HATE the farmers market, HATE landscaping beyond grass and yews, HATE people lying on the grass, HATE the music...They are aging-in-place, which is great, because it gives us the diversity, but they remember Stuytown as it was when they were young, and there's a disconnect when they see all these young faces, but it's not like when they were young.<<

A reminder (or maybe this is first-time info) to that young professional market-rater: The reason we're in this financial fix (less security, less maintenance) is because Jerry Speyer and his idiot son Robbie paid about three times what this property was worth. When you overpay, you have to find the money somewhere. And that's true even when much of the borrowed money doesn't have to be repaid. It used to be run better on much less money--and you would have been paying much less rent. But let's not forget the supreme ineptness of Adam Rose and his minions, who don't seem to be capable of managing their way out of a paper bag.

>>you need to realize that those of us who pay high prices to live in ST benefit everyone. who do you think pays for security, landscaping etc? the students, the young professionals, the dog-owners, the people paying market rates.<<

That's so funny! Really funny! My wife and I are laughing our asses off! Before the complex went market rate a bunch of little old Jewish ladies with blue hair and half-moon glasses on ribbons around their necks ran the place from The Service Department. They did a stellar job of keeping the maintenance requests taken care of and anything else that came up. The guys who did the maintenance were real well-trained, honest men with very well-honed skills. When the joint went "upscale" (excuse me while I wipe my eyes from laughing so hard) and some management company (Insignia?) came in, then things started to fall apart. The first management company quit because the joint wasn't quite up to their idea of the kind of property they should manage, then along came Rose. Down came the trees, down came the level of maintenance staff employed, up went the scruffiness and in came the students. Buddy, we don't owe you shit! Get over yourself.

It's tough to read about all this hate. Things change, get over it! I am quite uneasy about the banned breeds, size of dogs, etc. why stop there? Instead of the rift between market & market raters, repairs should be made on a neighbor to neighbor basis. Would I be wrong when a neighbor say I don't like dogs to respond " I don't like you! "

"i pay market rate and have for many years (triple and sometimes quadruple what many others pay). i have a dog and am a young professional. i get constantly yelled at about my dog although I always follow the rules - don't allow him in areas he is not permitted, he is well below the weight limit, wears the tag and i always pick up after him. for those of you who like to bother other tenants and yell at them - you need to realize that those of us who pay high prices to live in ST benefit everyone. who do you think pays for security, landscaping etc? the students, the young professionals, the dog-owners, the people paying market rates."

This is such a bullshit comment.

1. Who refers to themselves as a "young professional." You sound like leasing office brochure.

2. Most of the property is open to dogs minus the Oval a few "gardens" so I don't believe you are "constantly yelled at."

3. Your rent doesn't pay for the landscaping! Your rent barely breaks them even on this financial catastrophe!!! It could be argued the rent stabilized people provide roots for this community since we aren't transient and don't sleep four people to a one bedroom apartment.

Cuomo is a sleazeball and his Committee to Save New York should be called Committee to F**k New Yorkers. Just like the dirty Speyer crew f**ked their creditors and the tenants of PCVST. New York pols and RE developers make the Mafia look honest!

So now Rose is marketing the Oval Events straight to the New York Times:

For Residents and their Guests Only (wink wink nod nod)

NYTs Friday, June 8th: Dan Zanes & Friends/Bari Koral Family Rock Band (Sunday) While Dan Zanes caters to enthusiasts under 10, he is not just a children’s musician. The former frontman of the group Del Fuegos, he specializes in folk-flavored rock whose complex harmonies are just as pleasing to parents. His concerts normally sell out, but this one’s free, part of a summer series at the Oval at Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town. The opening act is the Bari Koral Family Rock Band, whose namesake has been compared to Norah Jones and Sheryl Crow. From 3 to 5 p.m., between 16th and 18th Streets and Avenues A and B, Manhattan, pcvst.com; free

Re the concerts, the official line is: “Events are free to residents and their guests.”

http://www.pcvst.com/events/signature-events/summer-on-the-oval.aspx

WTF does that mean, are they going to screen the two portals at the Oval ,check ID’s/and or a guest list and then “charge” nonresidents and non-guests? Even if they did that, since PCVST is public access, anyone can come in and sit at the benches at playgrounds, 9, 11 and 12 and see and listen to these concerts as well. CW Capital/Rose is operating on such an Orwellian basis these days. “Newsspeak” indeed.

I live on the Oval and if those stinking "concerts" break through my sound barrier (3 air conditioners going full blast) I am calling 311 over and over. I work nights and I don't need to hear these no-talent morons blasting their tone-deaf shit on the weekend. This is not what the Oval was designed for and it is not what people in a residential community should have to be subjected to. This is not Orchard Beach! Rose Associates has to be the most inept and gimmicky poor apology for a "management" company that ever existed. They just don't have a clue.

Don't kid yourself. They have a clue; they don't care. Their primary focus is marketing and their churn-and-burn rental policy, not quality of life. All done at the bidding of CW Capital and our real lord and master, Andrew MacArthur.

While that sucks about the termination notice, indeed, you did have two months to take care of it. That said, hopefully, you can get them to reconsider. Or if you hate it so much, this is your opportunity to find a place you will be happy.

And these are free concerts. It's their property. They can let anyone they want in to listen.

And a couple of the acts this summer are BIG. Lifetime achievement award, grammy-winning, musical source of inspiration for people like say, Eric Clapton, dubbed the new Koko Taylor big. 5000+ people crowd drawing big, depending on weather.

Concerts, events, ice skating all towards attracting new tenants. At the present market rates, to be considered Luxury Living, with no door man, lead pipes, small kitchens, small bathrooms, inadequate laundry room, I feel sorry for the market raters who are blinded by the superficial gestures. To think it was only yesterday that we got air conditioners!

No, little narcissist one, they can’t. That’s why they pull out the BS “free to residents and their guests” canard. There are residential zoning laws (I know, under Bloomberg, these laws are either eviscerated or ignored) and this entire place is RS, as of right now, subject to NYS RS laws. Before you make such a dumb ass comment, why don’t you do a little research about this place? Oh wait, you and your 4 roommates will be gone after your one year lease expires so why bother.

Anonymous said...@ The Bat-"It could be argued the rent stabilized people". I agree with your post but, post Roberts, for now,technically, we are all RS tenants. Thanks

I disagree (not in fact but in spirit). Indeed, all are RS, but the reality is that these are market rate apartments. In fact, they can charge over market rates at this point because this is what the RS laws will allow. They don't because the rents would then be over market and no one would rent them.

I would also like to say that let's not lose sight of the fact (i'm not saying that we are) that we need to stay focused on getting rid of Rose Associates when and if we possibly can. Having some level of autonomy is perhaps the best aspect of a conversion. Rose has certainly showed us how inept and apathetic they are regarding the wishes of the tenants here. For shame to allow dog to urinate and defecate on trees and the grass where children play. It would have been more appropriate for them to just leave the prior rules in place and just not enforce them. Now they are explicitly allowing this behavior. I don't blame dog owners, I wouldn't expect anything different from people.......but for shame Adam Rose, for shame.

I think you're being unduly harsh on Rose Associates, though I understand your pain. Right now, they are fencing off areas to which dogs can't get to, and there's been a push, via Public Safety, to enforce the dog rules. No one will be able to solve the dog problem to everyone's satisfaction.

STR, I think you are being unduly tolerant of Rose Associates, but that is your absolute right. Personally, I think they suck and are the most useless bunch of dopes since Tishman Speyer. It would be hard to find anyone actually worse than TS, but Rose is not much better. Of course, I mean managers in the class that they put themselves in. I'm not comparing them with the slumlords of Harlem, Bed-Stuy, etc., but they are certainly not a class act for a property like this.

@Anony 12.35 PM-Understood re the actual rent charged due to churning, just wanted to highlight that, under RS, a tenant does have the right for a lease renewal. If RS goes, so does that right and many other RS rights (painting every 3 years, etc.) as well.

The NYC Rent Stabilization Law of 1969 N.Y.C. Admin. Code Sections 26-501-26-520 (“Rent Stabilization Law”) No landlord, or any party acting on his behalf, may “interfere with the tenant’s privacy, comfort or quiet enjoyment of the apartment.”

Now, as per the NY Time article:“But while the warranty of habitability law has been applied to noise complaints, Mr. Ferrara said, the problem would have to be fairly severe to warrant a court's intervention.''The law doesn't guarantee a perfect apartment,'' he said. ''And some judges have characterized noise as one of the 'penalties of modern society' and of urban living."

See the rest of the NY Times article. In regard to this part of the RS law, it looks like the landlord has the better hand. Now if we had an elected official with some balls (sorry, Dan has moved on), we might go get some justice here once Bloomberg is gone. And if you are looking for a savior in Christine C. Quinn, dream on.

"Indeed, all are RS, but the reality is that these are market rate apartments."

Unfortunately, this guy/gal is right. The RS laws only apply to increases to the "legal rent." Since they've been able to jack up the legal rent to levels that no one would reasonably pay, the annual increases to formerly "market rate" apartments are basically whatever the market will bear.

"I think you're being unduly harsh on Rose Associates, though I understand your pain. Right now, they are fencing off areas to which dogs can't get to, and there's been a push, via Public Safety, to enforce the dog rules. No one will be able to solve the dog problem to everyone's satisfaction."

I have to respectfully disagree with you STR. As you know, when Tishman Spyer first made the mistake of allowing dogs here they stipulated that they would not be allowed on the grassy areas of the complex. Signs were put up to that affect all over the property. Of course, they were ignored. When Rose took over management duties they at first maintained these rules, and then relinquished them as opposed to attempting to enforce them. This was a management decision and as Adam Rose is the boss, responsibility for this rests on his shoulders. Managerial incompetence does not let him off the hook any more than Tishman Spyer's incompetence let them off the hook for destroying a community.

On another note I would like to address the apologists for management in regard to the apparent sending out of a non-lease renewal form to a tenant on this blog who forgot to send back his renewal notice. In the past when this happened management would send out a letter indicating that they were entitled to know our intensions and that if we didn't already send it in to please do so. Now, apparently, we are getting non-renewal notices. As hard as this may be for some people to believe, it is possible to forget to do things. It's even easier for seniors to forget things. To me this development demonstrates a dramatic lack of class on the part of current management (if it is indeed true). 60 days or not, the sleaziness knows no bounds at the Stytown management office.

I am like convinced that the like 20-somethings living here are like either totally illiterate or like totally lacking in life awareness skills. I just saw a bunch of girls go to the like recycling room with like their like garbage and tip a big bag of like ugh stuff like on the like floor and like then like put a bag of [unwashed] bottles and like cans and juice containers and like other shit into the paper recycling bin. Like can't they like read or something? Fershure!

>>When Rose took over management duties they at first maintained these rules, and then relinquished them as opposed to attempting to enforce them. This was a management decision and as Adam Rose is the boss, responsibility for this rests on his shoulders.<<

They relinquished the rules because they were unenforceable. Tishman Speyer couldn't, or didn't, enforce them, either, as you state. To enforce the first dog rules here, you'd have to have Public Safety really out there, all over the complex, at early morning and late evening hours too. The commitment to do this, and possibly also the manpower, just wasn't there.

>>On another note I would like to address the apologists for management in regard to the apparent sending out of a non-lease renewal form to a tenant on this blog who forgot to send back his renewal notice. In the past when this happened management would send out a letter indicating that they were entitled to know our intensions and that if we didn't already send it in to please do so. Now, apparently, we are getting non-renewal notices. As hard as this may be for some people to believe, it is possible to forget to do things. It's even easier for seniors to forget things. To me this development demonstrates a dramatic lack of class on the part of current management (if it is indeed true). 60 days or not, the sleaziness knows no bounds at the Stytown management office.<<

I had something similar happen to me a couple of years ago. I either forgot or misplaced my renewal lease, and before time was up, I was reminded by management through a letter if I had sent in my renewal lease or if I was intending to move out.

Yes, I think such courtesies should be extended. If they are not, it's obvious why. The value of an old rent-stabilized apartment is trumped by the value of a refurbished market-rate rent apartment.

Haven't been here in awhile but reviewing this thread, all of us can see that we are a divided community. I have to sound so positive, but I think there will be opportunity to find common ground in the future if the g-d powers that be get off their complacent butts, settle Roberts & sell this placer to us.

Don't stress over the recycling! 99.9 percent of it goes into the landfills. Do think Fuhrer Bloomie recycles? He cares so much about the environment he flies his chopper in and out of New York 11 or 12 times a day on weekends (when he isn't flying to Bermuda) and saturates the air in fumes and noise pollution! You think he washes his truffles and caviar tins? LOL!

"To enforce the first dog rules here, you'd have to have Public Safety really out there, all over the complex, at early morning and late evening hours too. The commitment to do this, and possibly also the manpower, just wasn't there."

What DO they have manpower for? They don't have the manpower to enforce the dog rules so they change them daily.

They didn't have the manpower to enforce the bike rules so they changed those as well.

'They don't have the manpower to keep the recycling areas, hallways and stairwells clean as you can see by this disgusting new Flickr account.'

OMG! I just viewed all these photos! They are horrible, but absolutely reflect the living conditions under the Rose Regime. They really must be put out there as a warning to prospective renters. I thought my recycling area was the only one that was bad, but I some are even worse, judging from these photographs.

Hard to believe that at one time MetLife used to regularly win the "Best Landlord in New York" annual award because of how well the property was run. It was either the News or the Post that gave out that award. We were all proud of Stuyvesant Town then. Now, we cringe at the conditions are embarrassed to even bring friends here or tell people where we live.

My comment about breeds was not defending or condemning pit bulls, not my cup of tea, but that's me. As a rule, Labs, Retrievers, Setters, are better with people, etc. They will not meet the height or weight restrictions. Smaller dogs tend to be more defensive, constant barkers, and not sociable. Can management restrict to only blue eyes, physically fit, attractive tenants?

We have no water in this shithole tonight. They "hope" to have it restored sometime tomorrow morning. Some of us actually have to get up early and go to work by 7:30 am. I hate this fucking place so much.

We have no water in this shithole tonight. They "hope" to have it restored sometime tomorrow morning. Some of us actually have to get up early and go to work by 7:30 am. I hate this fucking place so much.

I took my first "brown water shower" in a while last week. Things seemed to have gotten better then, BAM, Mud Truck shower. No choice. I had to deal with it. I thought that was all supposed to be fixed? Things were better for a while.

Hall of Shame Award to CWCapital from Stuy Town And Peter Cooper Village Tenants

Awarded for the Roberts Settlement Massacre, in which many tenants received mid-lease rent increases from hundreds to over a thousand dollars, compelling tenants to examine the need to move out with their families at short notice. Doubly awarded for the Oval Park Massacre, in which healthy trees were cut down and plantings viciously uprooted to make way for an institutionalized look of order.

Thinking of Renting in PCVST?

Read Yelp reviews to find out what it's like living here.

Banned Dog Breeds in Stuy Town

Cute rottweiler. But... looks like there is some difficulty in enforcing the ban on certain dog breeds allowed inside Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village. Somehow pitbulls and pitbull mixes have been registered in STPCV and are allowed to be freely walked about the grounds! Another fail of enforcing the rules around here? You decide!

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Stuyvesant Town Newsreel

Read it and Weep

Current Value of ST/PCV

Was 5.4 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer bought the place.Became 1.7 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer left, with their tail between their legs.Current estimate? Over 2 Billion?

Ex-landlord

Rob Speyer

1947 Stuy Town Plaque Honoring Met Life Chairman F.H. Ecker (Removed in 2002 and never seen again)

"... who with the vision of experience and the energy of youth conceived and brought into being this project, and others like it, that families of moderate means might live in health, comfort and dignity in park-like communities and that a pattern might be set of private enterprise productively devoted to public service."

Co-op/Condo Conversions

Non-Eviction Conversion:
Requires commitment from purchasers for 15% of the apartments. Both rent regulated and market rate tenants are given the opportunity to purchase. Rent regulated tenants cannot be evicted because they choose not to buy. However, the owner is not required to offer a lease renewal to market-rate tenants.
Eviction Conversion:
Requires written commitment from 51% of the tenants in occupancy. All tenants are given the opportunity to purchase. Those who choose not to can be evicted. For rent stabilized tenants who choose not to purchase, they can be evicted within 3 years after the plan is declared effective. However, rent stabilized tenants who are disabled or senior citizens are exempt from eviction. Market rate tenants can be evicted at the end of their lease. Less likely conversion tactic. [The TA insists that any plan they support will be non-eviction.]

I am writing on behalf of everyone at Tishman Speyer to express how honored we are to become part of your outstanding community. We are a business with deep roots in New York, a true love of our city and a great respect for the neighborhoods that make it special. We are committed to maintaining the unique character and environment that have made Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town such a wonderful place to live for so long. We look forward to providing you an extraordinary level of service and attentiveness that will be the source of pride and satisfaction for the entire community.

Neighborhood Recommendations

New to Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village? Here are some basic recommendations.

Best supermarket: Associated on 14th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave A. The cheapest prices, fantastic weekly sales, very affordable lunches; solid, responsive management. Some of the young female cashiers have attitude to spare, though. May be too far for Peter Cooper residents.

Best deli: A Stuy Town favorite is Lenz's on 20 St. between the 20 St. Loop. The way New York used to be. Be careful of unwanted "pepper" in your food, however. Lenz's has a B grade rating and was temporarily closed down due to an order from the Health Department. Bruno's on First Avenue is more upscale, with a greater selection of food items (higher-priced, too), but was closed down by the Health Department in June.

Best post office: Forget it! The post office on 14th St. is generally a nightmare, with long lines and, now, even shorter hours.

Disappointments:

The Stuy Town Starbucks on First Ave. is not very cozy, and the music in the morning is too loud and uptempo. Gently awaken the souls off to work....

More recommendations to come!

Macular Degeneration Support Group

If you are currently diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary is offering a support group for you. Conveniently located next to the Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town apartment complex, our group offers the opportunity to share stories with other members, listen to expert guest speakers, and learn coping strategies to reduce stress. Our group runs on the first Wednesday of every month and we would enjoy seeing you there.
Please contact Baptiste Nicolas, Social Work Assistant at 212-979-4105 for further information and to see if this group is right for you!